One of those against the suspended Oshiomhole’s administration, Salihu Lukeman, who is the Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, has advised the caretaker committee to activate the expulsion clause in the APC Constitution if the dissolved National Working Committee goes to court.
In a statement in Abuja, Lukeman stated that although the crisis in the party cannot be considered over, the dissolution was the right step.
In his statement, “We have a Convention Planning Committee that will manage the party for a period of six months and organize a National Convention to elect new leadership.
“Given that a section of the dissolved NWC is threatening legal action against the decision of the NEC, it simply means a section of the dissolved NWC is working against the party.
“Perhaps the Convention Planning Committee should consider invoking provisions of Article 21: Discipline of Party Members of the APC constitution.
“Based on that, those members of the dissolved NWC who attempt to institute legal actions against the decisions of NEC should be appropriately sanctioned.”
According to Article 21 V of the APC Constitution 2014 (As Amended), “Any member who files an action in court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matter or matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting the avenues for redress provided for in this constitution shall automatically stand expelled from the party on filing such action and no appeal against expulsion as stipulated in this clause shall be entertained until the withdrawal of the action from court by the member.”
Lukeman added, “We should on no account tolerate conduct of any leader of the party, which makes them more associated with activities of bandits who don’t respect any rule or any leader.”
According to ThePunch, it was gathered that APC Governors who are on good terms with some of the affected NWC members, have waded the matter and an announcement, they accept the new reality and could be made within days.
Meanwhile, some of the members are already having a rethink and reported to be pledging their allegiance to the committee.
One of the affected NWC members, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who was the National Publicity Secretary of the party till the dissolution in a statement on Friday pledged allegiance to the President and the newly constituted committee.
The report has it that he is closed to his state (Kwara) governor as well as the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
In his statement, Issa-Onilu said, “I was not just a proud member of that organ (NWC), I was also the spokesperson for the party.
“However, by this statement, I’m speaking in my personal capacity. I have reflected on the events of the past few days and the outcome of Thursday’s NEC meeting and as a party man, I declare my support for the actions taken by Mr President.
“Like the President said, the party was ominously hanging on a cliff, and as expected, something had to give way because the APC could not have continued along that obvious path of destruction.”
He therefore called on party members to rally round the committee. He described the committee as comprising compatriots.
Speaking with journalists, he added, “I cannot go against the President. The interest of the party supersedes that of any other person.”
He also said that he cannot tell if others in the dissolved NWC embraced the dissolution.
He cited Articles 21A (ii, iv, and vi), saying, “I understand some of our opponents are already calling for our heads alleging that even with the statement we issued yesterday (Thursday), we breached the party code, I really don’t understand. All we said was you cannot right a wrong using the instrumentality of illegality.”
